Method of making shovels



Feb. 1, 1927..

. A. MILLIGAN METHOD OF MAKING SHOVELS Filed Feb. 16, 1926 Patented Feb. 1, 1927.

ARCHIBALD MILLZEGAN, 403i HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASESIGNQR 1T0 ,SKELEQN SI-IQVEL CO. INC..., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OLE MAKING SI-IOVELS.

Application filed February 16, 1926. Serial No. 58,865.

In an application for patent filed by Walter E. Skelton of even date herewith, there is disclosed a novel construction of shovel of the strap type in which the blade, solid shank and straps are integral with each other, and in which the straps are so disposed as to engage the upper and lower surfaces of the wooden handle when the latter is applied. There is also disclosed there in a novel method of making such a shovel from a bar of sheet steel or other suitable material, but the method of the Skelton ap plication requires the twisting or turning of the solid shank during the forging operation through an arc of 90 in order to provide that the straps of the shovel shall engage the upper and lower surfaces .of the handle.

My invention resides in an improved method of making a shovel of the type of that disclosed in the Skelton application and has for its object to dispense with that step of the Skelton process, which consists in twisting the shank of the shovel during the forging operation.

The method consists in slitting a portion of a right-angled fang of a blank of metal centrally thereof and in a plane parallel to the two faces of the blank. rolling out into a thin sheet the slip portion of the fang, leaving that portion of the fang adjacent to the body of the blank in a thickened condition, cutting the two parts of the reduced portion of said fang to produce a pair of tongues which lie face to face, separating said tongues and imparting to them a slight transverse curvature, and forging or compressing the thick portion of the fang to method is to reduce or compress, by forging,

form a solid shank.

It also consists of certain details of procedure which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawing forming part of this specification Fig. 1 is a face view of one of the blanks from which the shovel is made;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same showing the slit formed in the right-angled fang thereof;

Fig. 3 is a face view of the blank with the split right-angled fang thereon rolled out into a thin sheet;

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the blank in the condition in which it is shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a face view of the blank of start with a blank 1 of bar or sheet steel or other suitable metal, the same being formed on one side with a right-angled fang 2. The fang 2 is slit or split as shown at 3, the slit 3 being located centrally between the two opposite faces of the fang 2 and parallel therewith. The slit extends from the upper edge of the fang down to a point adjacent the plane of the upper edge of the body portion of the blank. The fang is thus divided into two correspondingly shaped separated parts 4 and 5. A portion of the split fang 2 is then rolled out as shown in Figs 3 and l of the drawing leaving a part 6 of the fang at its point of juncture with the body of the blank in its original thickness. The next step of the method is to cut away the reduced portion of the fang to form a pair of tongues 7 and 8 from the split portions 4 and 5 of said fang. When the cutting operation has been performed, the tongues 7 and 8 lie in contact With each other throughout their length. They are then separated and slightly curved transversely as shown in Fig. 6. The side edges of each of these tongues are also cut away slightly down to a point near the lower end of the slit 3. The next step of the the thick portion 6 of the fang 2 to form the solid shank 9 and also to form above the shank 9 around the remaining portion of the slit 3 a socket 10, the lower ends of the tongues 7 and 8 being curved transversely and shaped to form said socket at the lower ends of the straps 11 which are similarly rounded. 'The body portion 12 of the blank is then plated or rolled out to form the blade713 of the shovel, as clearly shown in Fig.

It will thus be seen that a shovel made according to my improved method consists of a blade, a solid shank and a. pair of straps, all of which are integral with each other, that the straps are so disposed as to engage the upper and lower surfaces of the wooden handle when the latter is applied and that in the production of such ashovel no twisting of the shank during the forging operation is necessary.

I claim:

1. The method of making shovels which consists in slitting a portion of a rightangled fang of ablank of metal, rolling out into a thin sheet the slit portion of said fang, leaving that portion of the fang adjacent to the body of the blank in a thickened condition, cutting the reduced portion of the divided fang to produce a pair of'tongues which lie face to face, separating said tongues and imparting a transverse curvature thereto to form a pair of straps, and forging or compressing the thick portion of the fang to form a solid shank which merges into the said straps.

2. The method of making shovels which consisting in slitting a portion of a rightangled fang of a blank of metal, rolling out into a thin sheet the slit portion of said fang, leaving that portion of the fang adjacent to the body of the blank in a thickened condition, cutting the reduced portion of the divided fang to produce a pair of tongues which lie face to faceyseparating said tongues and trimming the side edges thereof down to a point adjacent the lower end of the slit portion, forging or compressing the thick portion of the fang to form a solid shank, curving those portions of the tongues above the lower edge of the slit portion to produce a socket and also transversely curving said tongues to form a pair of straps above the socket.

3. The method of making shovels which consists in slitting a portion of a rightangled fang of a blank of metal, rolling out into a thin sheet the slit portion of said fang, leaving that portion of the fang adj acent to the body of the blank in a thickened condition, cutting the reduced portion of the divided fang to produce a pair of tongues which lie face toface, separating said tongues and imparting a transverse curvature thereto to form a pair of straps, forging or compressing the thick portion of the fang to form a solid shank which merges into the said straps, and finally plating or rolling out the body portion of the blank to form the blade.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

AR CI-IIBALD MILLIGAN. 

